Alrighty, chapter 3 things start to get intense, but humor before stress is best :) so the first part should make you smile. Two songs to go with this playlist, they are again from the DoS special edition soundtrack, at the moment these songs just seem to fit for some reason, but I assure you it will change. First paragraphs song is "Beyond the Forest" and second and third paragraphs song is "On the Doorstep" for those who love the soundtrack, you'll hopefully be able to pick up on the mood I'm trying to create here. Try and read the last two lines when the music reaches 5:50, just if you want your heart to break for a bit.
Also shout out to Lakota1172 and Bluestarshine for the encouragements through PM and reviews, and to everyone else who's reviewed, you guys have totally made my day!
As much as it breaks my heart I do not own the writings or the characters of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, they are the wonderful and exclusive workings of J.R.R Tolkien
It was mid-afternoon now, Fíli had been at Bofur's for several hours and Dís had just finished cooking enough food for Fíli and Thorin to live off for the next few days, in fact she'd cooked so much that there was probably enough to feed five fully-grown dwarves for a week. Thorin had said as much on his way to her room to grab her bag for the Healing house.
"Who exactly are you planning on having here Dís? Fíli and I aren't going to get anywhere near finishing this food!" Thorin said munching on an apple and rhubarb scone.
"Thorin Oakenshield! I am not going to subject my son to your cooking ever again. Do you remember what happened last time you tried to make dinner?" Dís replied with an eyebrow arched.
Thorin winced at the memory "Aside from the pair of us wearing most of it and a couple of burns, it wasn't really that bad!" Thorin said somewhat defensively "Right?" he added looking at her uncertainly.
Dís rolled her eyes "you wouldn't know as you left for the Iron Hills that night, but Fíli was sick for an entire week! I decided not to say anything to save your dignity, as it is as soon as he was better he found it extremely entertaining that your food was a better weapon than a meal, but that was only AFTER. I've been using your cooking as a threat of punishment ever since."
Thorin grinned at his sister, of course Fíli would find Thorin's 'inedible food weapons' entertaining. Trying to clean the meal up with Fíli still throwing it around the room and at him with incredibly cute battle cries had felt like he was undertaking an unwinnable quest, but it had kept him in an elated mood throughout his trip to the Iron Hills.
"Alright alright! Point taken, still unless you're planning on us hosting some kind of dinner party in your absence you are mistaken in your fear of us starving sister." Thorin said walking off to her room. Having Dwalin and Balin over for dinner wasn't a bad idea actually, it would give them a chance to see Fíli for the first time since the ban; he decided to invite them over the moment Dís was safely delivered to the Healing House.
Dís chuckled as Thorin left the room and finished setting the plates of food on the table. She covered them over and made sure that everything was well sealed before storing them. She thought back to how she'd walked in the door after visiting a sick friend to find her kitchen plastered with red sauce and gooey chunks of unidentifiable meat dripping down from the ceiling, whilst Thorin and Fíli were crouched behind furniture, Fíli being the closest and throwing the food across the room. Thorin had appeared from behind the table that was currently on its side when he heard the door open, allowing Fíli to land a particularly large glob of food smack in the middle of his face. Dís had looked in shock at her food covered brother before laughing at the sight. Fíli had spun round at the noise and looked horrified that his mother had caught him throwing food, so he scampered to hide behind Thorin's food plastered table, only to be hoisted into the air by Thorin and tickled mercilessly whilst Thorin looked at Dís with a guilty expression.
"Dís?" Thorin had appeared behind her concerned at the fact his sister was shaking. Dís turned around and Thorin relaxed, seeing the smile and muffled laughter that was coming from his sister.
"I'm fine Thorin, I was just thinking about when I came home the night you cooked. It's not everyday someone gets to see Thorin Oakenshield plastered in his own food." Dís gasped for breath as she was now laughing so much. Thorin couldn't help but laugh with her.
Dís gasped suddenly, one hand grasping the table and the other her stomach. She looked down at her stomach in shock then to Thorin.
"Dís! Dís what's wrong? Talk to me!" Thorin said lurching forward to hold his sisters face, trying to understand what had happened.
"Thorin… my water has broken, it's time. He's coming." Dís said looking at her brother with shining eyes. Dís had always been certain the baby was a boy.
Thorin managed to control his emotions. "Alright, time to go then. Come on." Thorin said guiding his sister towards the door.
"Wait! What about Fíli? He's still with Bofur and you're meant to be picking him up soon." Dís said, refusing to move.
Thorin thought quickly "can you make it outside alright? I'll go get Fréya and tell her what's happening." When Dís nodded Thorin went sprinting out the door to the neighbours.
Thorin knocked on Fréya's door hurriedly. "Come on," Thorin thought, still hammering on the door "answer the door Fréya." Suddenly the door opened throwing Thorin slightly off balance.
"Thorin!" Fréya said in surprise "What's the matter?"
"Fréya, I need your help." Thorin said relief flooding his voice on finding the young dwarrowdam home.
Fréya was quite young in dwarf years, 80 to be exact. She lived with her mother, father and two siblings, and their family were close friends with Dís. Fréya was often brought over to babysit Fíli whenever Dís had to go out for the day and Thorin was either working or away. Fíli didn't mind, in fact he loved it when Fréya babysat as the pair of them would often go on little adventures around the town or oversee massive battles that would occupy both their houses. She'd also take Fíli climbing and swimming as a regular treat to the point where the pair of them would be passed out from exhaustion on the couch from a long day. She seemed to be the only one capable of keeping up with his limitless energy.
"Fréya, Dís has just gone into labour, I'm going to take her to the Healing House now, but Fíli is still at Bofur's toyshop. Can you pick him up, bring him home and give him some dinner? There's plenty to eat, Dís made sure of it. I probably won't be home tonight so you'll most likely have to stay until morning." Thorin said quickly.
Fréya grinned at Thorin "that's great news! And yes it's no problem, I'll put a bag together and go get him. Would you like me to tell him what's happening?"
Thorin thought about her question momentarily. He knew it would be better if Fíli knew that his sibling was on its way, but in doing that Fíli would most likely try and get to the Healing Houses to see them, and Thorin knew it was probably best for Dís to have some strength returned before trying to handle two children.
"No," Thorin said after a slight pause "It will be easier for Dís if Fíli doesn't know until the baby has been delivered, after all there's still a long way to go before it arrives, anything could happen in the next few hours. Tell him that we had to leave early and that I will be along for him in the morning, but ONLY if he asks, he doesn't need to know otherwise."
Thorin bowed before turning and running back to the house. Fréya followed Thorin and helped him take Dís to the House of Healing (knowing the brother and sister would appreciate the extra help to get there) and waited until Dís was placed in Oín's capable hands before heading back to her house to pack for the night, then going to fetch Fíli.
Fíli sat there in shock, staring after Drégo's disappearing form trying to figure out what he was supposed to do and believe. Part of him decided that Drégo was lying, his parents and Uncle DID love him, why wouldn't they? They spent lots of time with him; mama always gave him lots of hugs and kisses and gave him an occasional treat if he had been a good boy and Uncle always played games with him and told him bedtime stories.
That was before daddy died, Fíli realised. After he had died, his mama had become somewhat distant, never sparing as much time to cuddle him or plant a kiss on his forehead when he wasn't expecting it. And his Uncle had been different around him too, there weren't always stories before bed, and the games were less often as Fíli would have liked, it was reasons like this that Fíli had become miserable. And it was these thoughts that overtook the others, his head echoing with Drégo's voice "…a huge disappointment… live unloved forever, or leave and never come back."
"No," Fíli thought to himself "Unca pwomised to pick me up. He said he'd neva bweak a pwomise to me again. Drégo was lying, he'll see."
"Fíli? Fíli where are you?" Called Bofur's voice from somewhere nearby.
Fíli looked up to see Bofurs hat, followed by Bofur himself appear around the side of the toyshop.
"Ah, there you are little one. So, what do you think of the toys?" Bofur looked around the small area and saw several toys scattered around the base of the tree.
"Not too fond of those one's eh?" he said looking at the discarded toys with a grin.
Fíli grinned at him sheepishly "They not good to pway with Bofur." Fíli looked around until he spotted the horse he'd put off to the side when Drégo had arrived and held it up to Bofur.
"I wike's this one Bofur, can we paint it? Pwwweaaasse?" Fíli begged the toymaker, fixing his startling blue eyes on him.
Bofur chuckled and sat down next to him, holding out his hand for the horse which Fíli gave him willingly. Bofur inspected it for a moment to satisfy the youngster, he knew Fíli would go for this toy straight away, and had already decided not to paint it himself for that reason. "Well my boy, it certainly is a sturdy steed. Come on," he said standing up and holding a hand out for the dwarfling so he could pull himself up, which Fíli did with a grin and a jump. "Let's go have a look at the paints in the shop and you can pick the colours you want for the horse."
Fíli squealed in delight and raced off to the front door, with Bofur hot on his heels and Drégo's story all but forgotten.
An hour later Fíli's horse was no longer the bleak looking wooden horse it had been, it was now an array of different colours; it had a black head and neck with blue dots for eyes, a golden mane and tail, a red torso and two green and two brown legs. When Bofur had asked why the different colours after he let Fíli paint it, the young dwarfling had said that "The black is Unca Thowin's and mama's hair, my eyes are bwue and my hair is gowd, wed wike mama's dwess and our bwood, and gween and bwown cause we wive near a fowest."
Fíli had looked slightly exasperated, as though the toymaker had just asked him what his name was, before turning back to finish his new toy. And Bofur, well Bofur had just sat there completely stunned, Fíli was only five for Mahal's sake, and he could put reasons like that to the colours he had picked? Bofur decided he'd tell Thorin when Fíli was out of earshot as he didn't want to embarrass the lad in front of his Uncle, but knew that he deserved the praise for the meanings behind the colours all the same.
The bell for the toyshop door sounded and Bofur left Fíli out the back to go see who had arrived. As Bofur arrived at the shop counter he saw Fréya looking at a display of baby toys.
"Fréya! How lovely to see you today. Is there anything I can help you with?" Bofur knew Fréya relatively well thanks to Fíli's frequent escapades through the town which always had the toyshop as a destination.
"Hello Bofur" Fréya said with a smile "I'd like to purchase this toy please, it's for Fíli's new sibling."
"Well then, you've made a fine choice my dear." Bofur replied as he packaged and handled the payment for the gift. "Anything else I can help you with?"
"Yes actually. Thorin told me Fíli's here and asked me to pick him up." Fréya dropped her voice "Bofur, Dís has gone into labour, and Thorin doesn't want to leave her side until the baby has arrived. He asked me to pick Fíli up before we took Dís to the Healing House. Could you grab him for me?"
Bofur's eyes widened in surprise "Dís wasn't due for another few days from what Thorin told me, I guess it's a good thing they wanted to move her earlier as everything would have been prepared by now. Come with me and we'll get him yeah?"
Fréya nodded and followed the toy maker out to the paint room where Fíli had just finished his horse and was looking it over. The attention Fíli was paying indicated to Bofur that he'd have a fine eye for all of his work in the future.
"Fíli, look whose here!" Bofur said to the dwarfling.
Fíli looked up and grinned "Hewo Fwéya! Look what I maked!" Fíli pointed to his wooden horse with pride.
"Wow Fíli this is incredible! It looks a bit like you and Thorin you know?" Fréya said with a smile, before entering the room Bofur had explained to her briefly the meanings behind the colours and she could see what he meant now more clearly. She looked at the dwarfling again.
"Fíli, you're coming home with me tonight ok? Thorin can't come get you as something came up, but you'll get to see him tomorrow!" Fréya smiled at the dwarfling who had gone still, and after a moment was given a smile that she loved so much. Fíli with his smile and energy was always the perfect cure for a miserable day.
"Fíli why don't you shift your horse to the shelf and you can pick it up tomorrow once it's dried ok?" Bofur said with a smile and pointing to a shelf the dwarfling would be able to access easily. "Then we'll meet you out front" And with that Bofur and Fréya left the room.
The smile Fíli had given Fréya fell from his face as soon as they had left the room, because on the inside Fíli felt his heart break. Drégo had been right all along. Thorin and his mama didn't love him anymore, Thorin had broken his promise to get him, but Thorin wouldn't see it like that, breaking a promise to someone he didn't care about wasn't really breaking a promise at all now was it? Fíli wiped the tears that had started streaming down his face away. He thought back to the choices Drégo had given him:live unloved forever, or leave and never come back. Fíli still wasn't sure what to do, how was he supposed to know what would be best? He placed his toy on the shelf, wiped his faced dry and followed Bofur out to the front of the shop miserably.
When he got out the front he saw Bofur and Fréya waiting for him. Bofur couldn't help but grin at the misery on the dwarflings face. "Don't despair little one, you will get your toy tomorrow then you can show it off to everyone!" He said, not understanding the real reason for Fíli's mood change. He wrapped Fíli in a tight hug, followed by a pat on the head.
"See you tomorrow!" Bofur said with a chuckle watching the dwarfling and dwarrowdam leave the shop.
Fíli wondered miserably if he'd ever see the toymaker again. Failures didn't get nice things or friends.
On the walk home Fíli stayed quiet, trying to figure out what he should do when they came across a friend of Fréya's working on a large flower bed that weaved in and out of the trees on the side of town.
"Fíli, why don't you pick some flowers for your mama? I'm sure she'd love them from her special boy!" Fréya said with a smile "I'll ask for some extra special ones as well ok."
Fíli nodded in reply and went towards the trees trying to find his mama's favourite flowers before stopping suddenly and looking around. Fréya was busy talking and neither dwarf was looking in his direction. He could see a route to the town walls, and knew one of his secret tunnels were nearby, it was one of the few that only he knew about. His answer to his problem was as clear as if someone had told him outright: leave and never come back.
Fíli looked around one last time and ducked behind a tree, then quietly as a mouse he snuck towards the wall and his new life. As he reached the tunnel he turned to face the town one last time and whispered
"Bye-bye mama and Unca Thowin, I wuvs you." And with that Fíli disappeared.